Fumigate - Magic the Gathering

Death from above.

The first thing about Fumigate that impresses me is just the simplicity of it. It's a very simple name, paired with an almost as simple effect. Cards like this are designed to be reprinted. They have a generic enough name that they can be used in any setting, but also a simple yet useful effect that they may want to use again.

One tripping point is the second clause of the effect. I understand how fumigating a general populace would destroy them, but why am I gaining life afterwards? Are we doing something with the corpses? Does the mass killing clear the way for some public works project to repair damages? From a mechanical standpoint, the clause makes more sense, but from a flavor one, I don't quite get it.

I like how the art is split into two, contrasting planes. You have the reds and browns of the gremlins scurrying on the ground at the bottom, then at top you have the blue and white sky, with the distinct multicolored thopter to draw in the eye. I also like how it's staged as a point of view shot from the ground up, and the multiple scaled gremlin figures receding from left to right to create a sense of distance. The art also depicts the moment before the destruction.